Nokia answers needs of entry market with innovative sharing features

Espoo, Finland - In emerging markets around the world, mobile phones are often shared among families and even entire villages. To meet the needs of these customers, many of whom are first-time buyers, Nokia today introduced two new mobile phones designed to meet the unique needs of a shared mobile device, the Nokia 1200 and Nokia 1208 phones. Both of these phones introduce the industry’s first call-time tracking application and multi-phonebooks to make phone sharing simpler and more efficient.

In order to help manage airtime costs, the call-time tracking feature allows consumers and village phone entrepreneurs to pre-set a time or cost limit on individual calls, automatically ending the call after the limit has been reached.

The easy-to-use multi-phonebook lets customers set up personal phonebooks unique to that user and save specific contacts to that user’s phonebook. The Nokia 1200 and Nokia 1208 each come with 5 available phonebooks, so it is possible for an entire family to share a phone, and for each of the family members to manage their own phonebook.

“The sharing of a mobile phone allows many consumers in entry markets to experience the benefits of mobility firsthand - an experience that might otherwise not be possible,” says Soren Petersen, Senior Vice President, Mobile Phones, Nokia. “With the industry-first features found in the Nokia 1200 and 1208, Nokia continues to address the needs and aspirations of people in emerging markets by making its mobile phones accessible to more consumers and enabling positive community development.”

The Nokia 1200 and Nokia 1208 also come equipped with additional features tailored to entry markets such as one-touch flashlights, localized languages, a teaching mode that allows non-experienced users to quickly learn how to master the phone, while a seamless keypad also protects the phone from dust, another reality of rural mobile phone use. The Nokia 1200 phone is offered with a monochrome screen, while the Nokia 1208 features a colour VGA screen.

The Nokia 1200 will be available in the second quarter of 2007 with an estimated retail price of 35 EUR before subsidies or taxes. The Nokia 1208 will be available in the third quarter of 2007 with estimated retail price of 40 EUR before subsidies or taxes.